US actor Danny Masterson Found Guilty on Two Counts of Rape, Faces Up to 30 Years in Prison

A Los Angeles jury has convicted US actor Danny Masterson on two counts of rape, with the former star of the popular TV series “That ’70s Show” now facing up to 30 years in prison. Masterson was led from court in handcuffs after the verdict was announced.

Three women, all ex-members of the Church of Scientology, accused the actor of sexually assaulting them at his Hollywood home between 2001 and 2003. Prosecutors maintained that Masterson used his status as a high-profile Scientologist to evade responsibility for his actions.

After a week of deliberations, the jury of seven women and five men was unable to reach a verdict on a third count. In December 2022, another jury had also failed to reach a decision on the same count during an earlier trial.

Speaking to the Associated Press, one of Masterson’s victims, who was raped in 2003, expressed a mix of emotions upon hearing the verdict: “I am experiencing a complex array of emotions – relief, exhaustion, strength, sadness – knowing that my abuser, Danny Masterson, will face accountability for his criminal behavior.”

Actress and model Bijou Phillips, Masterson’s wife, wept as her husband was led away in handcuffs, while other family members and friends looked on stoically, as reported by CBS News.

During the retrial, prosecutors introduced new evidence that had been excluded from the first trial. Although the actor was not charged with drugging his victims, the jury heard testimony that the women had been dosed before the assaults.

Masterson was first accused of rape in 2017, amid the height of the MeToo movement. The charges were filed following a three-year investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. In two other cases, prosecutors did not file charges due to insufficient evidence and the expiration of the statute of limitations.

Throughout the trial, the prosecution argued that the Church of Scientology had played a role in concealing the assaults, a claim the organization has consistently denied. At the time the assaults took place, Masterson and his three accusers were all members of the Church.

Several women testified that they had not come forward sooner because Church officials had discouraged them from reporting the rape to law enforcement, urging them instead to rely on the Church’s “internal justice system,” prosecutors said.

One survivor alleged that Scientology officials threatened her with expulsion from the Church unless she signed a non-disclosure agreement and accepted a $400,000 payment.

Judge Charlaine Olmedo permitted both the defense and the prosecution to discuss the beliefs and practices of Scientology during the trial. Deputy District Attorney Ariel Anson told jurors, “The Church taught his victims, ‘Rape isn’t rape, you caused this, and above all, you are never allowed to go to law enforcement.'”

Masterson’s defense team sought to discredit the “Jane Does” by highlighting inconsistencies in their testimony and suggesting that their motivation was revenge against the Church. During closing arguments, the defense lawyer claimed that “there are motives all over the place.”

Though the Church of Scientology was not a defendant in the case, a lawyer with ties to the Church emailed the district attorney’s office to complain about the portrayal of the organization during the retrial. The defense contended that the prosecution’s focus on testimony about drugging was due to a lack of evidence of force or violence. Masterson’s lawyers’ request for a mistrial was denied.